Strike cripples AIR, Doordarshan operations in Kerala
By IANSTuesday, November 23, 2010
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Operations of Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) were crippled in Kerala Tuesday in response to a 48-hour nationwide strike called by the association of employees of the public broadcaster.
The National Federation of Akashvani and Doordarshan Employees Associations wants the withdrawal of the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990. This act placed all Doordarshan and AIR staff, earlier part of the information and broadcasting ministry, under Prasar Bharati.
“Of the nearly 400 plus employees here, more than 200, who are in the engineering division, are on strike. It is unlikely if we will be able to telecast anything today,” chief of news of Doordarshan Kendra (Thiruvananthapuram) K. Ampady told IANS.
AIR’s station director K.A. Muraleedharan too echoed his views.
“Except in Alappuzha, no other stations of ours will be functioning. At Alappuzha, there are two employees of the engineering section who are not taking part in the strike,” he said.
